Customs delays are the most common cause of international shipping problems that are within the sender's control. Most customs holds are caused by documentation errors — missing information, inaccurate values, wrong commodity codes, or vague descriptions. Preparing documentation correctly before the shipment leaves eliminates the majority of these delays.
The Commercial Invoice — The Most Important Document
Every international commercial shipment requires a commercial invoice. It must include the sender's full name and address, the recipient's full name and address, a detailed description of each item (not 'merchandise' or 'gift' — specifics like 'cotton men's t-shirts, 100% cotton, short sleeve'), the quantity and unit price of each item, the total value in the invoice currency, the country of origin of the goods, and the Incoterms (delivery terms, e.g. DAP or DDP).
Vague descriptions are the single most common cause of customs holds. Customs authorities need to classify goods to apply the correct duty rate — if they cannot classify them from your description, they hold the shipment until they can.
Harmonised System (HS) Codes
The HS code is a standardised international product classification system used by customs authorities in 200+ countries. Including the correct 6-digit HS code on your commercial invoice allows customs to classify your goods instantly without manual review. Many documentation errors are caught because the HS code and the description do not match.
You can find HS codes using the EU's Trade Helpdesk at trade.ec.europa.eu or the UK's Trade Tariff at trade-tariff.service.gov.uk. If unsure, err on the side of specificity — a more detailed HS code is less likely to cause problems than a broad one.
Declared Value
Customs duty and import VAT are calculated on the declared value of the goods. Under-declaring value to reduce duty liability is customs fraud and carries severe penalties including fines and shipment seizure. Over-declaring is also a problem as it may trigger additional scrutiny. Declare the actual transaction value — the price the buyer actually paid.
Number of Copies and Format
Most carriers require three copies of the commercial invoice — one for the export country's customs, one for the transit, one for the import country. In practice, most express carriers generate these automatically from your booking data if you provide full invoice details during booking.
Country-Specific Requirements
Some countries require additional documentation. The USA requires an Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing for shipments above $2,500 in value. Brazil requires an import licence for many categories of goods. India requires a Certificate of Origin for goods claiming preferential duty rates under trade agreements. Check the destination country's import requirements before shipping.
What to Do if Your Shipment Is Held at Customs
Contact Cargosender as soon as you receive a customs hold notification. Most holds are resolved by submitting corrected or supplementary documentation within 48 to 72 hours. Shipments held longer may begin accruing customs storage charges. Acting quickly is always the right approach — do not wait for the hold to resolve itself.
